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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28915572">The Nature of Karma</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/jl_micasea/pseuds/jl_micasea'>jl_micasea</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Stray Kids (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>All Rights Reserved, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Confrontations, Do Not Translate, Do not repost, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, First Time, Friends to Lovers, Jealousy, Karma - Freeform, Loss of Virginity, Love Triangles, SKz Smut, Slice of Life, Stray Kids Smut, Swearing, Vaginal Fingering, a school trip, cabin in the woods, conclusions are reached, stray kids x reader, themes of bullying, themes of karma</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 12:02:58</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>8,544</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28915572</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/jl_micasea/pseuds/jl_micasea</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Two best friends, one school trip in the middle of nowhere, and a whole host of unspoken truths.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hwang Hyunjin/Reader, Kim Seungmin/Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>43</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Nature of Karma</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Repost from my old Tumblr account.<br/>I really put a lot of work into this one, and I sincerely hope it shows. Please enjoy. Feedback massively appreciated via AO3 or through my Tumblr @jl-micasea. Please consider leaving kudos or a comment on this if you enjoyed it, they're all responded to and are what keeps me motivated. ~Mica<br/>~ <a href="https://jl-micasea.tumblr.com/">Tumblr</a><br/>~ <a href="https://ko-fi.com/jlmicasea">Ko-Fi</a></p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h5>“Hyunjin, my lovely angel, can you move over please?”</h5><p>You asked politely, giving him your biggest smile.</p><p>Hyunjin rolled his eyes at you, poking his tongue out and gagging dramatically at the impromptu compliment as he shifted himself up the sofa.</p><p>“What’s with you?” He asked, mock disgust in his voice while he rearranged the blanket around his lap. “I think that’s the nicest you’ve ever been to me since we’ve known each other.”</p><p>You shrugged your shoulders, picking up the PS4 controller and sinking into the space next to him as you balanced the bowl of popcorn in your lap.</p><p>“I’m trying this new thing. Treating others as you want to be treated. Collecting good karma so good things come to me!”</p><p>Hyunjin scoffed under his breath, turning his attention back to the television as you selected the Netflix app.</p><p>“Good karma? You do realise you have to actually <em>mean</em> the nice things you say for that to work, right?”</p><p>You shot him an offended look, quickly stifling a laugh at his bemused expression.</p><p>“And how do you know I don’t mean it? You are my lovely angel, aren’t you?”</p><p>He rolled his eyes again, stealing a handful of popcorn from your bowl.</p><p>“I give it a day. Tops.”</p><p>You pouted at him sarcastically, going back to scrolling through the shows and movies.</p><p>You and Hyunjin had been friends since you were little. He’d always been a constant in your life, someone you could rely on no matter how bad things got, supporting you and keeping you grounded as you fumbled through your adolescence together. Those were happy days, and ones that you looked back on fondly.</p><p>Because things had inadvertently started to change once you hit high school, with him seeming to hit his growth spurt far in advance of you. Almost overnight, he transformed into this drop-dead gorgeous young man that was suddenly the desire of every girl at school. He’d well and truly made puberty his bitch.</p><p>And you weren’t totally averse to that… You honestly didn’t mind that he’d become even easier on the eye than he was before. What you did mind, however, was the attention that came with it.</p><p>It was getting more and more difficult to keep him to yourself. He’d started spending time with other girls, ditching you to go to parties or on dates that you knew he wasn’t entirely interested in. And that in itself wasn’t a problem… he was entitled to do whatever he wanted, of course. The problems came from the feelings of bitterness and pangs of jealousy you’d experience when he’d cancel on you in favour of a random girl. When you’d started to lose the little things you used to do together, it made you realise just how much you valued his friendship. You missed him terribly, and you weren’t sure you’d ever find someone else quite like him.</p><p>That was, until, you met someone else.</p><p>“Budge up, cutie.”</p><p>You glanced up at Seungmin, smiling brightly at the sight of him and scooting up the sofa to make room.</p><p>Seungmin had been the first friend you’d made at high school outside of Hyunjin. When you and your childhood friend had started to tragically drift apart, Seungmin had been the one to occupy your thoughts and time. He’d lifted your sadness, replacing it with laughter and warmth. He’d brought the light back into your life.</p><p>He was clever, studious, and you’d be lying if you said you didn’t find him remotely attractive. Something about the way he smiled at you made your stomach knot, and he always seemed to know exactly how you were feeling or what you needed. You’d just clicked with him, almost instantly.</p><p>Hyunjin hadn’t been overly thrilled about it when you’d eventually found a way to introduce them. It was unnecessarily awkward, and you had no idea why. You thought Hyunjin would have been thrilled to know that you’d found someone else to pester and cling to, but in surprising contrast, he seemed quite the opposite.</p><p>You couldn’t be sure, but you had a feeling that your friendship with Seungmin was part of the reason that Hyunjin was even here right now. You knew for a fact that he’d stood up a date for this movie night.</p><p>“Ugh, are you doing the karma thing too?” Hyunjin sighed, picking up on the nickname that had just been thrown at you.</p><p>Seungmin furrowed his brow, settling into the space next to you.</p><p>“Karma thing? No.” He laughed. “I don’t really believe in that stuff.”</p><p>You looked at him in surprise, noting how you hadn’t known that about him.</p><p>“Really? You don’t believe that good acts bring good things?” You asked.</p><p>“Nah. I’m more of a… proactive person. No sense in waiting for those things to come to you. If you know what you want, you should just go after it.”</p><p>Something about the way he looked at you as he said those last words made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.</p><p>Shaking off the unfamiliar feeling, you turned your attention back to the television and eventually settled on a movie to watch. A b-movie horror film that definitely wasn’t about to win any awards for production value, but you knew it’d be fine for a decent scare.</p><p>You sunk back into the cushions, mindlessly reaching behind you and pulling the blanket from the back of the sofa. Seungmin held the other end, settling it over the two of you, scooting close to your side as he did so. Hyunjin exhaled heavily, throwing his arm around the back of the sofa, leaning in to your side.</p><p>With Hyunjin to your left and Seungmin to your right, you felt nothing but warmth and security. They were your best friends, and you cherished the time you got with them, either separately or on the rare occasions you all got together like this.</p><p>You’d just have to do your best to ignore the thudding of your heart for the next 90 minutes.</p><hr/><h5>You rested your head against the window of the cramped coach, closing your eyes to the mountainous scenery that was passing by outside as the soothing sound of Daniel Caesar’s voice flood through your headphones.</h5><p>In truth, you’d been dreading this trip. The annual school field outing that required you and the rest of your class to stay overnight at derelict and isolated cabins, stuffed together with other girls that you didn’t care to speak to and didn’t particularly like.</p><p>If you’d had your way you wouldn’t have gone at all, but both your homeroom teacher and the boys had talked you into it, not failing to remind you that this trip made up part of the extra credit you so desperately needed. So here you were, being driven through the winding mountainside roads, your anxiety growing with every mile you traversed.</p><p>“Okay so, hands up who wants to room with me!”</p><p>You rolled your eyes internally as the shouts of Ji-Woo, the most popular girl in your class, forced their way through your music, despite you having them in specifically to drown that out.</p><p>“Me! Me!” Another girl shouted, causing an uproar of commotion from around the coach as more of your classmates jumped from their seats and vied for her attention.</p><p>“Oh, stop! You’re all so silly!” She giggled, putting far more dramatic flare into her voice than she really needed to.</p><p>You’d never understood why Ji-Woo was so desperately popular. She always seemed so fake to you, and you wondered if you were really the only one who’d noticed the way she manipulated people, just to make herself look good or to have her own way. It was like no one else could see through the mask she wore.</p><p>“Girls, sit down please!” The teacher called from the front of the coach. “And you’ll be given room assignments, you don’t get a say in who you’re with!”</p><p>Whines of protest and complaint poured up from everywhere, and you were almost tempted to join them. It was times like this you wish your school had migrated to the 21st Century with the rest of the world, where male and female cohabitation wasn’t considered a dirty thing. The groups had been split into boys and girls, and while you could understand <em>why</em> they’d done that, it also meant that you’d had your best friends taken away from you.</p><p>So all you could do now, was hope for the best.</p><hr/><h5>This had to be a joke.</h5><p>Some sickening form of cosmic punishment that you’d wrought on yourself for something you’d done in a previous life.</p><p>“Oh my god, I choose this bed!”</p><p>Ji-Woo’s crooning pierced your ears as you dragged your overnight bag into the cabin you’d been assigned, with her and two of her cronies.</p><p>“Then I call dibs on this one!” Her friend laughed, running to the furthest bed and throwing herself on it.</p><p>You waited for her other friend to decide where she’d be hibernating, leaving the last one for you.</p><p>“Y/N, you’re okay with this right?” Ji-Woo smiled, cocking her head at you.</p><p>“Sure.” You smiled as best you could, noting how she hadn’t even given you a choice to begin with.</p><p>“Cool. Thanks baby!” She giggled, turning her attention back to her friends as they all gathered around her suitcase, pulling out ludicrously expensive items of her clothing and fawning over them.</p><p>You sighed under your breath, figuring that perhaps this wouldn’t be so bad as long as you just steered clear of them. You’d be out of the cabin most of the day anyway, doing activities and other group stuff. So you just needed to get through the night. Easy enough.</p><p>A shrill notification sound went off from your pocket, and you fished inside it to grab your phone.</p><p>
  <em>[10:32] You all settled? Who are you bunked up with?</em>
</p><p>It was Seungmin. You smiled to yourself, resting against the headboard of your bed as you tapped out a reply.</p><p>“Hey, who are you texting?”</p><p>You looked up to see Ji-Woo stood in front of you, hands on her hips in curiosity.</p><p>“Uh… just a friend.” You muttered, locking the screen of your phone almost immediately.</p><p>“Wouldn’t happen to be Hyunjin, would it?” She asked, wandering around to your side.</p><p><em>Ah</em>. You’d forgotten she had a major crush on your best friend. She’d been trying for months to get on his good side, but much like you, he’d whiffed out the bullshit she threw around fairly quickly.</p><p>“Does he ever… talk about me?” She shrugged, trying not to seem like she was desperately fishing for scraps.</p><p>“Uh… no. Not that I can remember.” You replied, swinging your legs over the side of your bed and reaching for your bag.</p><p>But it was promptly kicked out of your reach as Ji-Woo’s designer clad feet came into your view.</p><p>“Y/N…” She purred, “We’re friends, right?”</p><p>You looked up at her, meeting her cold gaze. You weren’t about to answer that. She knew the answer damn well.</p><p>“Friends help each other out. You know that Hyunjin and I are… well, we’re a thing.”</p><p><em>A thing? </em>You had to stifle a laugh at that.</p><p>“And I’d appreciate it if you stopped getting in the way of that.”</p><p>“Ji-Woo…” You sighed, standing from your bed to meet her face to face. “I don’t stand in the way of anything. Hyunjin can do whatever the hell he wants, he’s a big boy. If he’s not giving you enough attention, then I’m sorry. But I promise you, that’s nothing to do with me.”</p><p>You shoved past her to grab your bag, hiking it up from the floor and slinging it to your shoulders.</p><p>“Maybe he’s just not into spoilt little rich girls.” You muttered as you threw it onto to your bed.</p><p>“What did you just say?!” Her friend shouted from across the room, marching over to you.</p><p>You knew that had been a stupid thing to say, but you weren’t about to let these girls walk all over you. You’d had enough of being treated and spoken to like sub-human garbage. Where the hell did they get off?</p><p>“Say that again, bitch.” The girl hissed, squaring up to your face as you tried your best to ignore her.</p><p>“She’s obviously just jealous. Jealous that you can afford nice clothes and a decent hairdresser, Ji-Woo-sii. I mean look at this-” The other girl wandered over, standing behind you. She took a fistful of your hair from the back of your head, holding it up to show Ji-Woo. “If this isn’t a hobo’s dye job I don’t know what is!”</p><p>All three girls cackled at the insult, though quite frankly, you’d heard better.</p><p>“Don’t touch me.” You growled, turning to face the girl who’d pulled your hair.</p><p>“Or what?” She glared, getting up to your face.</p><p>You took a deep breath, opting to be the bigger person and walk away. Starting a fight wouldn’t be a wise thing to do. You grabbed your bag, hiking it to your shoulder once again as you shoved past the two cronies.</p><p>But your foot got caught as one of the girls stuck their leg out, deliberately tripping you. You tumbled to the floor, your bag connecting with the back of your head as you fell, creating a stunning array of stars in your vision. Your hands grazed against the harsh oak floor, removing the skin and sending stings of pain through your arms.</p><p>All three girls burst into sneering laughter, pointing their fingers and nudging each other dramatically before realising it was better to abandon the scene of a crime. They walked away from you, cackling as they went to leave the cabin.</p><p>“Later, hobo!” One of them called over their shoulder, leaving you in a heap on the floor.</p><p>You winced as you tried to sit up, rubbing the back of your head before you realised your hands were bleeding.</p><p>“<em>Fuck</em>…” You cursed, bringing your knees up to your chest.</p><p>You almost blamed yourself for adding fuel to the fire of that situation, but you were so sick of taking their abuse that you just couldn’t stand it anymore. It just wasn’t… fair.</p><p>This hadn’t been the first time you’d been the target of some jealous, overconfident girl that was chasing Hyunjin’s affections. Most of the time it had just consisted of sarcastic or underhanded comments thrown in your general direction, chipping away at your composure until it ended with you crying in the bathroom.</p><p>But Ji-Woo… she was particularly proactive in her disdain for you. She obviously hated the fact that you were so close to him, although the irony was that right now, the two of you were more distant than you’d ever been. It was only when Seungmin arrived on the scene that he seemed to remember you were supposed to be his best friend.</p><p>You heard the door to the cabin open, and assuming it was a teacher, you quickly tried to scramble to your feet.</p><p>“Y/N…?”</p><p>That wasn’t a teacher.</p><p>A pair of strong arms wrapped around your waist, helping you stand.</p><p>“What happened?” Seungmin asked, concern clear in his voice.</p><p>You shook your head, not wanting to talk about it. You knew how much he worried about you anyway, and this would only make him worse.</p><p>“Ji-Woo?”</p><p>You sighed in defeat and sat on the edge of your bed, looking at him with appealing eyes.</p><p>“Alright, fine. I won’t push it. But you know you should just report her to the teacher, right?”</p><p>“Seungmin, what would be the point? You do realise that telling on bullies only makes life more difficult for the victim?” You half-laughed.</p><p>His brow furrowed disapprovingly, and he sunk to his knees in front of you.</p><p>“Let me see.”</p><p>You tentatively held your hands out for him, showing him your neatly grazed palms.</p><p>“For god’s sake… Wait here.” He sighed.</p><p>He disappeared into the bathroom, and you heard the faint sound of running water. He returned moments later with a damp towel, settling back on his knees as he took your right hand in his.</p><p>“This might sting…” He warned, gently placing the towel on your cuts.</p><p>You hissed through your teeth as a shooting pain shot through your hand, and Seungmin shot you an apologetic look.</p><p>“Why don’t you ask to move cabins?” He asked softly, holding the towel against your skin.</p><p>“And go where?” You asked, meeting his gaze. “All the cabins will be full now. And I don’t particularly want to share with the teacher.”</p><p>He knew you were right, but that didn’t make him any less worried for you. It was written all over his face.</p><p>“Hey…” You smiled, poking his cheek affectionately. “I’ll be fine. I can take care of myself.”</p><p>“Clearly.” He rolled his eyes at you, removing the towel as he brought your hand to his lips. He pursed them and blew gently on the wound, soothing a measure of the pain with the subtle action.</p><p>You weren’t sure why, but something about the way he did that sparks of tingling through your nerves. Maybe it was the proximity of his lips to your skin, or the way his breath made you feel warm and fuzzy… but it was a profoundly strange feeling.</p><p>Seungmin looked up at you, noting the way you were biting down on your lip. His eyes seemed to sparkle when you looked at him this close… Had he always been this attractive?</p><p>“What are you thinking…?” He whispered, releasing your hand. He shifted to his knees, placing his arms either side of your legs.</p><p>Your cheeks suddenly flushed with fire, and you avoided the intensity of his gaze.</p><p>“I… nothing. I’m not thinking anything.” You replied, painfully aware that he seemed to be moving closer to you.</p><p>He carefully reached out and lifted your chin with his fingertips, pulling your head around to look at him. Your breath caught in your throat at his touch.</p><p>“Y/N, can I…” He seemed to hesitate, the words getting stuck on the tip of his tongue.</p><p>“Can you what…?”</p><p>He took a quiet breath, sliding his hand down to your neck.</p><p>“Can I kiss you?”</p><p>Your heart began to pound involuntarily, your gaze flicking from his lips to his eyes as you took in his words.</p><p>Acting purely on instinct and fuelled by the sudden electric atmosphere, you simply nodded. A subtle, wordless gesture of consent.</p><p>Seungmin closed the distance between you, pressing his lips to yours. Warmth flooded you as you closed your eyes, allowing yourself to simply feel him when he laced his fingers into your hair. The kiss was tender, his motions careful as he brushed his lips over yours, and your body responded by itself as you felt butterflies take flight in your stomach.</p><p>It was your perfect first kiss. The first time you’d felt something even remotely close to love.</p><p>Seungmin withdrew from you, his hand still holding you in place as he looked into your eyes. You weren’t quite sure what to say… should you even say anything?</p><p>“I’ve wanted to do that since I first laid eyes on you…” He whispered.</p><p>Your cheeks burnt with fire, and you once again averted your eyes from him.</p><p>“Y/N…” He muttered, his breathing staggering as he spoke. “Will you… be my girlfriend?”</p><p>Your eyes flew open wide, and before you even realised it, your instincts kicked in. You recoiled from him, sliding over the bed to the opposite side and standing up. Seungmin watched in sheer surprise, clearly taken aback by your reaction.</p><p>“I… uh… I need to go. To d- do a thing. I’m… I’ll see you l- later?” You stammered, almost tripping over your own feet as you made a beeline for the door.</p><p>“Y/N, wait!”</p><p>You ignored his calls as you burst through the door, all but breaking into an instant sprint across the tarmac path. You had no idea where you were going. All you knew was you needed to get away. This was all too much.</p><p>The end of the path branched out into a wide open field. You ran straight across it, towards the clusters of trees at the other side. Eventually you approached a wooden picketed gate that formed the entrance to the dense forest that lay behind it. The gate was locked on one side by a large, industrial metal clasp. You quickly assessed it, and deciding that you wouldn’t be able to lift that lock, you opted instead to clamber over it with all the grace of an elephant.</p><p>Looking around, you found yourself on what looked like an old pedestrian trail, only identifiable by the footprints that had worn through here over the years, creating a makeshift path to follow.</p><p>You wandered down the path, feeling the dried leaves crunch beneath your feet and the occasional slip of mud. You were definitely off the beaten path by now, but it still seemed so peaceful here. Craning your neck upwards, you took in the sight of the impossibly green leaves and willowy branches from the tall trees that formed a canopy above your head, and you noted how you’d never actually been surrounded by so much nature before. Living in the city, you rarely got to experience this kind of thing.</p><p>It was almost exciting. Like you were going on an adventure, roaming into areas that felt like they hadn’t been touched by other people or modern civilisation in years.</p><p>A gentle breeze blew through the forest, and you shivered in response. In your desperation to leave the cabin, you hadn’t even thought to grab a coat. You wrapped your arms around yourself, rubbing your arms to stir up some warmth.</p><p>You were certainly feeling calmer now, but you could still barely believe what had just happened.</p><p>Girlfriend? <em>Seungmin’s </em>girlfriend? You’d honestly never even thought about dating, let alone one of your best friends. Wouldn’t that be… weird? How would it even work?</p><p>Another gentle gust of wind scattered dead leaves across your path, and you stopped in your tracks as you heard the faintest of sounds being carried with the breeze.</p><p>It sounded like… singing? It was soft, and not quite in tune, but something about it seemed desperately familiar to you.</p><p>You headed deeper into the forest, your eyes scanning in every direction as you tried to find the source of the sound. The trail beneath your feet had now all but disappeared, and you shuffled through brushes and overgrowth as the singing got louder.</p><p>Pushing aside several branches, you stepped into a small clearing and brushed yourself free.</p><p>And you immediately felt like you’d just walked into a scene from a storybook.</p><p>Dandelion flowers drifted gently on the upwind, dancing to their own soundless tune and creating a stunning vision of nature. The grass seemed greener here, tall clumps of it standing out against the beds of multicoloured flowers that decorated the ground with lashings of pink, white and purple. It was surrounded on all sides by dense, dark trees, acting as a barrier that concealed this special place. It was nothing short of breathtaking.</p><p>Right in the centre, your gaze rested on the broad back of the one person that you could never mistake.</p><p>Hyunjin.</p><p>He was sat on an old, withered tree log, swaying gently back and forth as he sung to himself. His midnight black tresses swept with the wind, fluttering gently around his face.</p><p>You recognised the tune now that you were close enough to hear it properly. It was a song he’d sung since you were kids, one that his mother used to sing to him when he was frightened or nervous.</p><p>You hadn’t heard it in an excruciatingly long time.</p><p>Your heart swelled with a confusing combination of sadness and relief as you watched him. You took a step closer, battling with whether or not you should call out to him. Should you leave? He clearly wanted to be left alone…</p><p>“Hyunjin…?”</p><p>The sound of your voice caused him to jump a mile, frightening the daylights out of him. He whipped his head around and had nothing but fear on his face.</p><p>“Jesus!” He exclaimed, putting his hand on his chest dramatically as he saw you. “You scared the fuck out of me!”</p><p>You laughed quietly, moving over to him.</p><p>“What are you doing here?” You asked, taking the spot next to him and stretching out your legs in front of you. “This place isn’t exactly easy to find.”</p><p>He cleared his throat, resting his elbows on his knees.</p><p>“I just went for a walk. Found this place by accident.”</p><p>You looked around and absorbed the surroundings once more, brushing strands of hair off your face as you did so.</p><p>“It’s beautiful…” You smiled.</p><p>“Y- yeah… it is.”</p><p>Hyunjin swept his hand through his silky locks, looking you up and down quizzically.</p><p>“What are <em>you </em>doing here?”</p><p>The question sent you straight back to that moment with Seungmin at the cabin, and your cheeks flushed almost instantly.</p><p>“N- nothing… I just went for a walk too.” You stammered.</p><p>Hyunjin’s eyes narrowed as he noticed the change in your complexion.</p><p>“You’ve always been a bad liar.” He sighed. “What happened?”</p><p>“Nothing happened!” You protested, averting your gaze from him.</p><p>He reached out to you, taking firm hold of your chin as he forced you to look back at him.</p><p>“Then why are you blushing?”</p><p>“I’m not blushing!”</p><p>“Y/N…” He muttered, sliding up the log to get closer to you. “We don’t keep secrets, remember?”</p><p>Your eyes met his for a brief moment, but that was all it took for your resolve to crumble. He’d always had a way of coaxing the truth out of you.</p><p>“W- well… I, uh…” You hesitated, not sure how to say it.</p><p>Sighing heavily, you figured it would just be best to rip the band aid off and get it over with.</p><p>“Seungmin asked me to be his girlfriend.”</p><p>His eyes flew open as he heard your words, his hand dropping from your face.</p><p>“W- What?! Seungmin?” He asked, his tone laced with something you couldn’t identify. “Are you sure?”</p><p>“Yes, I’m sure, Hyunjin. Either that or he’s got a twin we don’t know about.” You laughed under your breath, amused by the stupid question.</p><p>Hyunjin shook his head, trying to find the words he’d meant to say.</p><p>“B- but why? What for?”</p><p>You shot him a glare, noting how famously unhelpful he was being right now.</p><p>“Look, I know it’s hard to believe that someone might like me. But I think he really does. At least… it felt that way.”</p><p>His jaw tensed at that implication. He didn’t like it one bit.</p><p>“What do you mean, it <em>felt </em>that way?”</p><p>“When he kissed me… I felt that he-”</p><p>“He kissed you?!”</p><p>His words came out as a breathy growl, cutting you off before you could finish. You looked at him in shock, having never heard him speak like that before.</p><p>“Y- yeah… he did.”</p><p>Hyunjin’s eyes darkened, and he stood from the log. He paced around the clearing, his hands glued to the side of his head as he seemed to mutter under his breath. You watched in bewilderment, wondering what the hell was going through his head.</p><p>“Are you okay?” You eventually asked, standing from your seat and reaching for him.</p><p>“Hey… what’s going-”</p><p>You were promptly cut off again as Hyunjin suddenly lunged for you, pulling you into his chest by the arms and knocking the wind out of you. He suffocated you, holding you so tightly that you thought he’d never let go. You gasped for breath, totally lost for words.</p><p>“What are you-”</p><p>“Don’t say yes.”</p><p>As easily as that, your heart began to pound in your chest. He couldn’t mean what you thought he meant…</p><p>He held you at arms length, looking down at you through his locks with regret filled eyes.</p><p>“Don’t be his girlfriend. You can’t.”</p><p>You couldn’t comprehend what was happening. Had you heard him right? Were you hallucinating?</p><p>“B- but… why not?” Was all you could say.</p><p>“I’ll show you why.”</p><p>Time seemed to stop around you as Hyunjin leaned in. He entwined his fingers with your hair, gently tugging your head back to meet his advances as his lips pressed firmly to yours.</p><p>Your second kiss. From your second best friend. You were now two for two.</p><p>Yet this kiss was vastly different from Seungmin’s. It was desperate, like he was chasing a longing he’d been harbouring for years. You felt his appeal, the intentions behind his motions as he traced his tongue across your bottom lip. You curled your fingers into his shirt, whining softly as you parted your lips for him and granted him a sliver of access.</p><p>His arm wound around your waist, pulling you flusher to his body. Warmth sparked through you, both from his body heat and the intensity of his kiss. He slid his hand down to the small of your back, his fingertips connecting with the exposed skin where your shirt had ridden up. You mewled gently, craning to your tiptoes and throwing your arms around his neck.</p><p>In all the years you’d known him, you’d lost count of how many chances you’d stolen to admire his beautifully plump lips. The guilty fantasies you’d conjured up as to how soft and smooth they must be to the touch didn’t so much as hold a candle to the real thing.</p><p>Hyunjin broke the kiss, gazing at you with glassy eyes as the two of you stood in silence, your laboured breathing being the only discernible sound.</p><p>“Be mine, Y/N. Not his.”</p><p>The lid on your emotions had been well and truly popped, forcing you to recognise and acknowledge the feelings you’d been furiously burying for this man all these years as they overwhelmed you all at once. Because here he was, asking you to be his.</p><p>“Come with me.” He whispered, taking your hand as he led you back through the clearing.</p><p>Your head was spinning, your whole body tingling with anticipation.</p><p>You knew that you weren’t just sad when he’d started seeing other girls. Your pain had run much deeper than that. You’d just refused to accept it. You’d been jealous. Resentful. You’d battled with yourself to keep your feelings in check, telling yourself that there was nothing those girls had that you didn’t. That you didn’t need him to validate you…</p><p>But in truth, you were scared. Scared that you would never be enough for him. Scared that your feelings would never be reciprocated, because you were simply too much of a friend.</p><p>The realisation that your negative thoughts and despairing had all been for nothing was quickly dawning on you as Hyunjin pulled you through the woods, back towards the camp. His grip remained firm on your hand as he headed to the cabin at the far end of the row. He pulled you up the stairs to the small decking, fishing a key from his pocket and unlocking the door.</p><p>“Quick, inside.” He encouraged, holding the door open for you.</p><p>Wandering inside, you noticed how this cabin was different from the others. It seemed… cosier. A roaring fireplace was settled into the wall, surrounded by old bricks and a wooden mantelpiece. A large, double bed was placed in the centre of the room, adorned with fur throws and various fake animal skins. It was nothing but rustic, and entirely romantic.</p><p>“Who’s in this cabin?” You asked quietly, eyes wide as you took it all in. You roamed over to the bed, tracing your fingers over the soft fur blankets.</p><p>“The teacher. I swiped the key.” He stated, shrugging off his jacket.</p><p>“How did you-”</p><p>Rapid footsteps thundered across the wooden floor, and you were promptly knocked backwards as Hyunjin threw himself against you. Sending both of you stumbling backwards to the bed, he held your face with both hands as he kissed you furiously, overwhelming you with his frame.</p><p>You kissed him back, just as eagerly and ferociously, melting under him as he positioned himself over you.</p><p>He dragged his lips from yours, tracing them over your jaw and down the soft skin of your neck. You whined softly, tilting your head to the side and closing your eyes, feeling him slip his hands under your shirt.</p><p>“Fuck… you make me crazy, Y/N.” He whispered, lifting your shirt over your abdomen.</p><p>Your back arched as he sunk down and began to kiss your chest, his fingers tugging at the hem of your bra and exposing your breasts to him. He greedily sucked at the skin, taking your nipple into his mouth, twirling his tongue over the sensitive bud.</p><p>Everything was happening so fast, you were so utterly overcome with emotion and lust that you’d simply never experienced. Not knowing any other way to deal with it, you surrendered yourself to his advances, knowing that you could at least trust him to guide you through this. By now there was no doubt as to where this was going. But you just needed reassurance…</p><p>“H- Hyunjin… wait-” You breathed, placing your hand on his cheek.</p><p>He looked up at you, his lips pink and marked from his activities.</p><p>“I… I’ve never…”</p><p>He cocked his head at you, rising back up your body.</p><p>“Never what, baby?” He asked softly, gracing you with another small kiss.</p><p>“N- never… done <em>this</em> before…” You replied, your cheeks flushing with unnecessary embarrassment.</p><p>Hyunjin smiled beautifully, his eyes sparkling with adoration.</p><p>“I know…” He breathed, leaning back in to kiss you. “I know you better than anyone.”</p><p>He sunk back down, disappearing from your view as his hands found the button of your jeans. You watched him intently, your chest heaving as he popped them undone.</p><p>“Do you trust me?”</p><p>You nodded at him, biting on your lip as he hooked his fingers into the band of your jeans.</p><p>“Do you want this?”</p><p>You nodded again, putting more emphasis into it than the last. Hyunjin smiled at your reaction, dragging your jeans down over your hips. You bucked yourself upwards, helping him take them off.</p><p>You suddenly felt a wave of vulnerability as his eyes rested on your clothed heat, and by instinct, you squeezed your thighs together, hiding yourself from him. Noticing your little action, he quickly grabbed the hem of his own shirt, whipping it off over his head and tossing it aside. You admired his sculpted form as he stood on the bed, unbuckling his jeans and sliding them down to ankles and kicking them off to bring you to even ground.</p><p>Settling himself back at your feet, he tenderly touched your legs, ghosting his fingertips over your skin. You shivered involuntarily, your legs naturally parting for him.</p><p>He brought himself back up your body, resting his weight on his arm as he positioned himself between your legs.</p><p>“Can I touch you?” He asked quietly, his hand just hovering above your heat.</p><p>“Yes…”</p><p>A sudden rush of warm pleasure washed through you like a wave as his hand connected with your panties, cupping your pussy entirely. He bit on his lip as he heard your small moan, rolling his fingers across your clit. You’d never been touched like this before, and you weren’t sure if it was normal to feel so instantly aroused, or if you were just incredibly highly strung, but the things he was doing were making you high.</p><p>He rubbed tender circles around your clit through the fabric of your panties, watching every little reaction you gave him with deathly intensity.</p><p>“Is this good?” He purred, biting on his lip again.</p><p>“Y- yes… it’s good…” You whined, arching your back as he applied more pressure.</p><p>You felt a sensation of cool air as he pulled your panties aside, exposing your bare pussy to him. He slid his fingers through your soaking folds, slicking them up with your pre-cum and juices. A small groan escaped him as he felt how wet you were, and his eyes darkened. You tensed as his fingertips ghosted your entrance, prodding just enough to tell you what was coming next.</p><p>“Hyunjin… I…” You breathed, suddenly feeling like this was going to hurt but stopping yourself before you could protest. You didn’t want him to stop. Didn’t want to give him a reason to hesitate.</p><p>Hyunjin buried his head into your neck, smothering you with affectionate kisses in an effort to relax you.</p><p>“I’ll go slow, baby…”</p><p>With a gentle push, he slid his middle finger inside you. Your eyes closed in content as he began to pump you slowly, forcing little moans from your lips. You clung to his shoulders, feeling your stomach knot and core tighten as he fingered you with all the tenderness in the world.</p><p>An additional sensation of fullness came over you as he inserted another finger when he was confident you could take it, maintaining the same steady rhythm, curling them slightly. The feeling that followed that subtle action was ungodly, and you released a far louder moan than you’d intended to. Hyunjin smirked against your skin, lapping at your neck as you simply fell apart beneath him.</p><p>Your legs began to quiver as a desperate need to release something, <em>anything</em>, became the only thing you could feel. He gently caressed your walls, twirling his hand around to change the angle, bending his fingers beautifully, just enough to graze that spot that made you want to scream.</p><p>“H- Hyunjin… I… I can’t-”</p><p>“Shhh… it’s okay, baby. Just let yourself go…”</p><p>His breathy words sent you over the edge with another tender brush of that spot, causing an explosion of heat and sheer blissful pleasure to rip through you. Your whole body tensed, and you clung to his shoulders desperately, releasing one long moan after another straight into his ear. It was pure heaven, and while you’d had orgasms before, this was unlike anything you’d ever given yourself. It was simply ten times more intense.</p><p>Hyunjin held you tightly, allowing you to ride out your orgasm in silent patience as he caressed your clammy skin with tender kisses.</p><p>You fought to catch your breath as he removed his fingers from you, wiping them on the sheets of the bed. He quickly sat upright, leaning over the edge of the bed to grab his jeans. He fished into the pocket, pulling a condom from them and tossing them back aside.</p><p>He slowly pulled down his boxers, his straining erection springing free from the fabric and bouncing gently. You looked at him in quiet awe, wondering how the hell he was going to get that thing inside you.</p><p>Taking the condom between his teeth, he deftly ripped the wrapper and pulled it out, pinching the rubber between his thumb and forefinger. His gaze remained fixed to you as he smoothed it down over his cock with his other hand, assessing your reactions.</p><p>He gradually returned to you, shifting his weight and aligning himself with your body. The tip of his cock just grazed against your soaking heat, and you tensed instantly, uncertainty crossing your face as you realised that this was really happening. Your best friend was about to take your virginity.</p><p>“Are you ready?” He asked softly, smoothing rogue strands of hair from your face.</p><p>“Will… will it hurt?”</p><p>Hyunjin nodded gently, his gaze never moving from yours.</p><p>“It will… but it’ll hurt less now that you’re relaxed. I’ll be careful.”</p><p>“Please… don’t hurt me.”</p><p>Hyunjin’s eyes glossed over as the intonation to your words became clear to him. You weren’t just asking him not to hurt you physically… You were asking him to be loyal, to stay true to you after you did this. To look after your heart. Because crossing this line together meant you simply couldn’t go back.</p><p>“I… will never hurt you. I’ll never let you go again.”</p><p>You held your breath as you felt Hyunjin reached down between your legs. He held the base of his cock, holding it against your entrance. The slightest of movements from his hips began to stretch you out as he started to fill you, and you shut your eyes tightly.</p><p>It certainly wasn’t unpleasant, but it was entirely unfamiliar.</p><p>Hyunjin bit down on his lip as he got a quarter of the way in. You were so utterly tight, he was having trouble controlling himself. But he had to.</p><p>“You okay?” He breathed, his cheeks burning up.</p><p>“Yes…”</p><p>Taking your barely audible whisper as consent, he removed his hand from his cock and rested his arms either side of your head. Another slow push of his hips forced him deeper inside you, and you gasped quietly, your eyes now wide and glassy as you held his vision.</p><p>“Ugh… god-” He whined, the veins in his neck protruding as he mustered all the self control he could find. You were wrapping him in warm, snug heaven, and he’d never felt anything so purely delicious.</p><p>Resting his forehead against yours, you both fought to catch your breath as the intensity of the moment became too much.</p><p>“I’m okay…” You muttered, reassuring him as much as yourself. “Do it…”</p><p>Hyunjin emitted a throaty growl, a purely carnal sound that you’d never heard him make before.</p><p>You braced yourself as he eventually eased into you, and you released a high pitched yelp as you felt something give way inside. A stinging pain ripped through you, and tears came to your eyes as Hyunjin finally sunk his entire length into your walls.</p><p>He held still for a moment, giving you time to adjust to the way he filled you, the way he had just claimed you as his own.</p><p>You gave him a small smile, a tear rolling down your cheek involuntarily. He swept his thumb across your skin, collecting the wetness and replacing it with a gentle, tender kiss.</p><p>“I love you… Y/N.”</p><p>His confession made you reel, your whole body tingling as butterflies went wild in your stomach.</p><p>“I love you too…”</p><p>You whined in slight discomfort as Hyunjin began to move. He maintained a slow, lazy pace, being careful not to lose himself before you could handle it. He grunted quietly, feeling every inch of your hot, wet pussy around him. You were painfully tight, clinging to his cock like your life depended on it.</p><p>“Is this okay…?” He asked, the struggle clear in his voice.</p><p>Picking up on his tone, you felt a sudden wave of utter emotion as you realised how patient and gentle he was being for you. You held his face in your hands, kissing him firmly.</p><p>“Go faster…”</p><p>“Are you sure-”</p><p>“Take me, Hyunjin…”</p><p>His eyes flashed at your sudden command, and he bit on his lip as he started to increase the pace. The stinging pain gradually turned into a rather pleasant soreness as he slid himself in and out of you, your natural lubrication providing a slickness that only made you both feel more than good.</p><p>You let out repetitive, breathy moans, your cheeks burning as you quickly began to feel the pleasure he was giving you. You clung to his back, hooking your legs around his hips tighter, encouraging him to delve deeper. Erotic sounds of wetness and raspy exclamations of lust filled the cabin, both of you too lost in each other to care about anything else.</p><p>Hyunjin began to tremble, his body tensing and muscles contracting as he approached his high. You accepted every inch of him so well, sucking him into your euphoria like you couldn’t live without it.</p><p>“Y/N… <em>ah</em>, baby girl-”</p><p>You soothed his hair and held him tightly as he released inside you, his cheeks burning a deep shade of red. He came so hard, so fast that you barely even had time to appreciate how utterly amazing he looked when he was at his most vulnerable.</p><p>For a while after that, the two of you laid in silence.</p><p>Despite how confused and overwhelmed you’d been earlier, lying on this bed with Hyunjin’s arms wrapped around you offered you a sense of clarity that you’d been in desperate need of. You’d been doing everything in your power until now to deny your feelings, telling yourself that you were insane or just lonely. But now that you thought about it… the fact that you’d been so desperately trying to ignore what your heart had been screaming at you was only confirmation that you’d been pining for him all along.</p><p>Because the simple truth of it, was that you were unconditionally in love with your best friend. And him with you.</p><p>And now, he was so much more than your best friend. He was your soulmate.</p><hr/><h5>The next morning, you woke up in your own bed at the cabin you’d been sharing with Ji-Woo and her gaggle of witches.</h5><p>You’d somehow managed to avoid waking them up when you returned last night, and by all accounts they seemed utterly uninterested in where you’d been, or they simply hadn’t noticed you’d even been gone at all, because they left you to your own devices in the morning.</p><p>You rushed to get ready, gathering your things and washing yourself down before heading out. The coach was due to arrive in the next hour or so, and honestly, you wanted nothing more than to go home. But now you knew that you’d remember this trip for the rest of your life… for reasons entirely unexpected.</p><p>“Y/N?”</p><p>You heard your name being called from behind you as you stepped out of the cabin, and you turned to see Seungmin approaching you.</p><p>Almost immediately, your heart sank. You’d almost forgotten about his impromptu proposal… some ‘friend’ you were.</p><p>He sauntered over to you, grabbing your bag from your hand and walking side by side with you off the decking.</p><p>“Did you have a good evening?” He asked politely.</p><p>You knew he was just going through the motions of small talk. You knew that there was something much more urgent he wanted to ask you, and you also knew that you owed it to him to tell him the truth. Well… perhaps not all of the truth, but he at least deserved an answer.</p><p>“Seungmin? Can I take you somewhere?”</p><hr/><h5>True to his innocent form, Seungmin looked around in wide eyed wonder as you led him into the small clearing you’d discovered yesterday, albeit quite by accident.</h5><p>Taking in his expression, you smiled to yourself. Despite the pit in your stomach at what you were about to do, you truly hoped that he would want to stay friends. Although you’d understand if he didn’t. It’s not like you deserved it…</p><p>“Sit…” You patted the space on the tree log next to you, gesturing for him to join.</p><p>He willingly complied, looking at you expectantly.</p><p>“So… I know… you asked me something yesterday. And I know I owe you an answer…” You began, not being able to meet his gaze. “I think, in the end… it’s best if… if we stay friends, Seungmin.”</p><p>You held your breath as you waited for the inevitable snap. You wanted him to scream and shout, wanted him to make you feel as shit as you already did. Doing this made you a terrible person-</p><p>“I see…” He sighed, resting back on his arms as he threw his head back, basking in the soft sunlight.</p><p>You risked a glance at him, and all you could read on his face was… peace? But that didn’t make any sense…</p><p>“Can we… stay friends?” You asked tentatively.</p><p>“Of course, staying friends is better than losing you completely.” Seungmin smiled. “But can I just ask you one thing?”</p><p>You nodded in bewilderment, hardly believing how well this seemed to be going.</p><p>“Is it Hyunjin? Did he finally tell you?”</p><p>Your hopeless heart skipped a beat at the mention of his name, and the surprise must have been written all over your face as he laughed under his breath.</p><p>“I guess he did.” He muttered.</p><p>Did… Seungmin know? Had he known all along?</p><p>“Seungmin, I-”</p><p>“There’s no need to explain.” He sighed, closing his eyes as the breeze from the clearing encompassed you both. “I’m just glad you’re not tiptoeing around it anymore.”</p><p>You sighed in defeat. Although he seemed to be taking this well, you couldn’t help but feel that there was more bubbling beneath that calm exterior than he was letting on. But you knew you had no right to push it.</p><p>“I’m sorry…” You whispered.</p><p>Seungmin simply smiled at you, shaking his head. He didn’t want your apologies. He didn’t want your justification, and he didn’t want you to feel bad.</p><p>“Please don’t be. I knew what I was getting into. And honestly… I’ve always known I never stood a chance against him.”</p><p>“Seungmin, don’t say that…” You muttered, feeling tears sting at your eyes. You hated that you were doing this to him. “It’s never been about… chances or standing against each other. I love you both.”</p><p>Seungmin nodded, reaching down and pulling a stray dandelion from among the tufts of grass.</p><p>“Then let’s promise each other,” he smiled, handing you the flower. “That nothing will change our friendship. I’ll be here for you, whenever you need me, just like always.”</p><p>You smiled sadly, watching as he pulled another dandelion from the earth.</p><p>“And you… you’ll let me stay by your side. Let me bask in the love you’ve given me until now.”</p><p>A single tear escaped you, rolling down your cheek and staining your skin. You nodded quietly, both of you bringing the flowers to your lips.</p><p>With a gentle blow, the two of you dispersed the seeds of your flowers into the air, watching them drift away over the grass. They joined the other tiny seeds that had been caught in the upwind, amalgamating into one, beautiful body of nature. It was your silent promise to him, and his to you, that you’d stay together for as long as you could. For as long you could make him happy like this, you would. Because you owed him too much not to, and you knew how lonely life would be without him.</p><p>“You were right about that karma thing, you know…” He eventually whispered, breaking the peaceful silence that had settled in.</p><p>You looked at him quizzically, raising an eyebrow.</p><p>“You and Hyunjin… you’ve been friends for so long. All those years of repressing your feelings and being patient. Hoping for the best while you forced a smile.”</p><p>A sting of emotion ran through you as you recalled that your long unrequited love had finally come to fruition. Memories of the tender confessions and physical intimacy from last night made you blush, and it still didn’t entirely feel real.</p><p>“I guess I’m just trying to say that I believe it now,” he smiled, his eyes full of nothing but content.</p><p>“That good things really do come to good people. Because I’ve never met anyone more deserving of love… than you.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>~ Feedback via <a href="https://jl-micasea.tumblr.com/">Tumblr</a><br/>~ Support via <a href="https://ko-fi.com/jlmicasea">Ko-Fi</a></p></blockquote></div></div>
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